Written by

Dan D’Ambrosio

Free Press Staff Writer

The new cidery will include a post and beam barn to welcome visitors to Woodchuck, with a gift shop, tastings, and tours.

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When Bret Williams put together the deal to buy Vermont Hard Cider Co. in Middlebury a decade ago, the company had $16 million in annual sales, but was losing more than $300,000 a month.

“Back then we were talking about bankruptcy,” Williams remembered Friday in an interview with the Burlington Free Press. “How do we hit payroll? Today as I address the group I’ll be talking about growth, expansion and new jobs.”

Williams was referring to a media event Friday in Middlebury to break ground on a new $30 million cidery that will include a post-and-beam visitor’s center, something Vermont Hard Cider — makers of Woodchuck Hard Cider — has never had.

Right now, when Woodchuck fans show up in Middlebury — and they do, coming from all 50 states — they aren’t turned away, but there’s no official tour, or even a gift shop. When the cidery opens in May 2014, there will be a gift shop and tours for the steady stream of visitors.

“The new visitor’s center will be a great thing for the economy, for the hotels, restaurants and shopping,” Williams said.

The primary purpose of the cidery of course will be to make hard cider, and it will more than double Woodchuck’s current capacity of 4 million cases annually in the existing 62,000-square-foot plant. The new facility, on 27 acres a half-mile away from the current facility, will cover 100,000 square feet. The new bottling line will handle 600 bottles a minute, Williams said.

Vermont Hard Cider has grown from 42 employees when Williams bought it in 2003 for $2.3 million to 155 employees today. The company’s sales last year were $70 million. Williams expects to hire another 15 to 20 employees when the new plant opens.

Last October, Williams sold his company to Dublin, Ireland-based C&C Group for $305 million. Part of the deal, he says, was to keep the company in Middlebury and build the cidery.